It's a truth few moms want to admit: We take shortcuts. Sometimes, we just don't care! It's all about survival.

Do
you do any of the things these "Survivor Moms" do to get through the
day with your sanity intact? Or do you have any tricks of your own to share, whether
they're time-savers or mantras for dealing with any lingering mommy
guilt after you've used the TV as a babysitter or fed the kids PB&J
for lunch the fourth day in a row?

Replies

1)breakfast a few times a week is a bit much, but all of us have our guilt in sometimes going the easy way with a meal here and there.

2)dressing your kids.. okay, this one I do somewhat agree with.. especially when my 16 month old has taken it upon herself to play find the matching shoes!! I've found shoes in the fridge, in the tub, in a dresser..but actually getting them dressed after having their clothes out, isn't hard. My 4year old has dressed herself for some time now.

3)love thy neighbor.. yeah, that doesn't always work! I wouldn't trust my friends to babysit my kids, which is why we often don't meet up WITH our kids. Besides.. I'd have to return the favor.. and while I love my friends, I don't love their kids lol. I have my mom, and their nana that help out at times, but yeah, if you want to be a TRUE survivor mom, you have to learn to be able to handle going solo at times.

4)the tv/movies/board games, I agree, can be a life saver when you are sick, or even when one of the kids are sick and you need to entertain the other(s).. but mary poppins would bore my children to death! lol. (it's better to just grab a movie trilogy for them).

5)cleanliness.. that I don't agree with.. my youngest is the messiest child when it comes to eating, so bathing is a MUST, daily, sometimes twice a day. I don't wash her hair daily unless it's obviously dirty, because of her hair type..(I go every other day for her).. my oldest, still bathes ever day.. but again, I don't wash her hair daily because of her hair type.. I wash hers every 4-5 days. and myself, I have to bathe daily... again, becaues of my hair type, I don't wash my hair every time.. but yeah.. no bathe.. ick! It's gotta get done.. even if you have to throw yourself in the tub with the kids! lol.

so replace 3, and 5..

for me, that's:

* if we aren't leaving the house, they can stay in their pjs for the day, and I don't bother doing their hair.

*i sometimes bribe my kids! If it means a trip to the dentist without a freak out, darn right I'm going to bribe them! Although there is a limit, too much and you have a spoiled brat who's going to freak out because you didn't bribe them or offer a treat!..

LOL! That's so funny! Sometimes you just have to let go and let things happen, especially if they aren't burning the house down or something. ;)

Quoting gotnothinonme:

I was on a conference call with a client once and my two year old son was making me insane, and I was doing that silent arm flap menacing go somewhere and play for two seconds please face while trying to focus on my work call, when suddenly I just said "fine, here take my wallet and keys, but please don't loose my credit cards again!" - my client laughed til she cried. I've played FETCH with the kids from my desk. I've created a game where i yell out hints and they have to run through the house finding the things I'm "hinting" about (which half the time I have no idea what I'm hinting about to begin with), I've actually decided if the day was a success by whether or not they're all alive, eaten more than a starving child in some country I can't pronounce and are clean enough to still be vaguely recognizable- this isn't my usual standards, but when I'm operating at def-con 5 red alert levels, you have to measure life in the itty bitty successes, like not losing them and not setting anything on fire that day. They've rolled n mud and tracked it through the kitchen, they've colored each other head to toe in marker, they've ridden the dog past my desk- "while I say, if you dangle a treat he'll run faster!" I've committed almost every cardinal mommy sin known and I'm sure I'll make plenty more- darn gotta go, my little man is taking a bath in the dogs water bowl!!

Sounds like you have figured out a good way to make things work for you and your kids. :)

Quoting Azzura:

I wouldn't survive with three boys, two under 3, if I didn't have a schedule that I stuck to religiously. I don't sweat the small stuff, I make sure they take their vitamins and stay hydrated, and thank god for peanut butter and yogurt, as long as they get protein they can eat whatever they please. I use nightly baths like pool time, it confines them, cleans them, and entertains them for at least 45 minutes. I'm not actually washing them though. They wear their pants/jeans twice to save me laundry. They are always in bed between 7 and 8pm so I have quiet time, kids need a lot of sleep!

Alexis wakes up at 6am EVERY MORNING!!!! I get up, feed her, change her diaper, turn on Yo Gabba Gabba and go back to bed. The Gerber stage 2 foods are awesome because all I have to do is set them on her tray and she can feed herself. She has her sippy cup and she is good to go. Put a few toys on the floor in front of the tv and I can get what I need to done before nap time.

We do this too...and when I suggest it, it's always greeted by "Yay!! That means bacon too, right?"

We also have 'fend for yourself' nights....usually when I go to the gym or to see my bff. ESPECIALLY when I see my bff, cuz 9 out of 10 times, my hubby has to go pick me up. We really like our wine, you know.

On weekends, if my kidlet has nothing going on, bedtime isn't enforced in our house. She stays up as long as she wants...as long as she goes to bed Sunday night and gets up Monday morning with no issues, I didn't see the big deal. Still don't.

well my son always comes first no matter how im feeling, but if I am tired and/or feeling down hes usually easy to handle cause right now hes only 5 months and he loves rolling around on the floor, that way Im able to lay down and rest while i keep an eye on him so he doesnt get into anything